Anti-Slavery International

EU Legislative Interests

EU policies and legislation on human trafficking, forced labour, employment and social affairs, trade policies as they affect business and human rights, development, external relations, migration management. Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and omnibus simplification package I Regulation on prohibition of products made with forced labour EC Expert Group on Trafficking in Human Beings

Communication Activities

Our work on responsible business related to EU policies falls into four key areas: 1. Legal protection. We campaign for the implementation of national and international laws that will hold businesses to account for failing to prevent forced labour and other human rights and environmental abuses in their supply chains. Decades of voluntary ‘corporate social responsibility’ strategies have failed to protect many millions of people from exploitation; and existing laws are not strong enough to protect workers. We need new legal frameworks that compel businesses to stop exploitation at every stage of their supply chains and allow survivors of modern slavery – or those at risk – to access justice. We work globally with organisations, trade unions and policy-makers to put modern slavery in supply chains at the top of the political agenda. 2. Working with businesses. Some businesses do recognise the need to prevent forced labour, and we help them to work towards this common goal. Through our business advisory services, we work as a ‘critical friend’ to companies, helping them identify the risk of modern slavery in their supply chains and to take serious action to prevent it 3. Partnerships to support workers. Workers must be able to know about – and exercise – their basic labour rights, such as fair pay and fair contracts, in order for modern slavery to be prevented. We make sure workers are closely involved in the efforts taken to end modern slavery, along with the work of trade unions and businesses 4. Tackling state-imposed forced labour. Some governments subject their citizens to forced labour and other abuses. As a result, many products – including textiles, solar panels and many everyday goods sold on the high street – can be tainted by state-imposed forced labour. Since the late 2000s, we have worked with our partners in the Cotton Campaign to end state-imposed forced labour in cotton production in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and since 2020 as part of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region we’ve been striving to end to the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We focus on calling for the EU to introduce stronger laws and policy that will ensure corporations respect human rights and the environment. We work by: 1. Advocating with our allies in the EU directly to the European Parliament, European Commission and European Council 2. Supporting our civil society partners from around the world to be involved in the debate. We believe that the EU must directly consult with workers, trade unions and civil society where forced labour is the most prevalent 3. Engaging with supportive businesses to support our campaigns Our advocacy focuses on calling for the EU to: 1. Strong omnibus simplification package assurance much adherence to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and then once passed, ensuring strong Commission-level guidance and monitoring of business compliance. 2. Ensuring strong implementation of the Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour, including through a robust risk database and prompt publication of guidance 2. Strengthen trade and development policy to address the root causes of forced labour – such as poverty, lack of legal protection, worker representation and discrimination https://www.antislavery.org/what-we-do/our-work-in-the-eu/

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

https://www.antislavery.org/about-us/partners/

Organisation Members

https://www.antislavery.org/about-us/

Additional Information

*Conversion from GB Pounds on 1 Oct 2025 on xe.com https://www.antislavery.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ASI-annual-report-and-financial-statements-2024.pdf